AutoRaise have been both the administrators and facilitators of enabling Saint Gobain to approve transfers of more than £125, 000 to fund new apprentice start-ups within the vehicle repair industry.
“This is fantastic for, not only our own affiliated repairers, but also others within the industry who this funding has helped. Saint Gobain’s generous offer of transferring some of their levy pot to repairers has enabled 10 new apprentices to be taken on in their bodyshops respectively.” said Steve Thompson, Vice Chair of AutoRaise.
Jennifer Evans, AutoRaise Business Executive continues:
“The process is not without its challenges, but we have proved that as a team, great things can be achieved, and I’m delighted that Saint Gobain’s enterprise and generosity is being rewarded by getting new apprentices into the industry”.
The Levy Transfer programme has shown to be a viable approach for larger, levy-paying corporations to fulfil their corporate social responsibility. There are some restrictions imposed by the government; for example, the grant cannot be used for existing apprentices; only fresh starts who are placed on a new apprenticeship standard are eligible.
For those employers who do not have experience employing apprentices under the new standards, the AutoRaise team will help guide the process, including discussion around the recruitment of young people and signposting businesses to approved training providers. The AutoRaise team will assist employers who have no prior experience employing apprentices under the new criteria, including discussions about recruiting young people and directing businesses to approved training providers.
Saint Gobain’s latest commitment to fund apprentices comes on the heels of the company’s sustained support for the apprenticeship programme and AutoRaise. Saint Gobain has made social mobility a central part of its strategy to developing talent, assisting people from a variety of backgrounds.
Sally Rao, HR Director High-Performance Solutions UK & Ireland, comments:
“We are delighted that our collaboration with AutoRaise has resulted in 10 apprenticeships being recruited for the Automotive Aftermarket Industry. Saint-Gobain has a strong focus on career development and apprenticeships are a great way of offering employment opportunities and skills for young individuals. We extend our congratulations and best wishes to the new apprentices, and we are looking forward to supporting them in their training and future career.”
One of the fortuitous repairers who had their request approved recently was AutoRaise affiliated repairer, Carbody Banbury. Leon Smith, Managing Director said:
“Carbody have been blown away by the support we’ve received from AutoRaise in launching our new apprenticeship programme. Jen from AutoRaise and our Chairman Ian Durham have been working together and have secured levy funding from Saint Gobain for our 4 new rising stars. I’m really excited to see the programme evolve.”
Devonshire Motors was also one of the approved beneficiaries, Graeme Bennett, Managing Director said:
“A huge thank you to Auto Raise, especially Jen for all her assistance, and to Saint Gobain, we are delighted that they have offered their support to us and our apprentices. With this support our trainees will have the best possible start to a long and fruitful career within this great industry of ours.”
Motorbodies Weston, another longstanding supporter of AutoRaise, and an affiliated repairer were delighted that their request was approved, Carl Prosser, Managing Director noted:
“We as many other bodyshops have realised, that the talent required in our industry has not been nurtured in recent years. We have supported AutoRaise for a number of years but have been guilty of not trying hard enough to recruit or promote what a wonderful industry we are. I decided that we needed to get several apprentices on board and thought I would reach out to AutoRaise for some guidance. Jen has been fantastic at steering us through the process and has even managed to help us source funding from Saint Gobain for all 4 apprentices! She has put me in touch with a local college and helped us create an advert to use to attract the talent required. I am pleased to say that one apprentice has already started with us and a few more are in the pipeline, a very big and sincere thank you to Saint Gobain and AutoRaise for all their support and advice, who made the process much easier. We will continue to support AutoRaise and would encourage others to do the same.”
For anyone requiring further information on this initiative, please contact AutoRaise direct at enquiries@autoraise.co.uk
